Dr Bill Lumsden

As we move into the autumn here in London, I can’t help but think how quickly time goes. The thing is, on one hand, it’s my favourite season. That time when I can start wearing jumpers and curling up with a book when a moment permits, smoky dram in hand, happy under my Islay Woollen Mill-made blanket. When log fires start to be lit in pubs (yes, even here in London we have lovely pubs with wood burners) and I can go for a crisp afternoon walk feeling the air hitting my lungs more sharply. It’s wonderful but also tinged with a quiet sadness that the year is flying past.

Over here at Miss Whisky HQ it’s been a hectic summer – in fact, while I thought it would be my ‘quiet’ season, it was fairly non-stop apart from a couple of quick holidays.

Which is, of course, a great thing overall. The whisky industry – despite some gloomy predictions over the past couple of years – is still booming with new launches, great announcements and growth. My inbox is constantly pinging with news of a distillery opening, a whisky being released (sometimes, in the case of Ardbeg, literally into the air) or a milestone being reached.

However, the hectic times have also meant I’ve had to make a conscious decision about this site and the time I have to put into writing on it. I love bringing news and notes from the whisky industry, but unfortunately, while the exciting projects I’ve been working on have thrilled my palate and moved my whisky soul, they have also meant I simply have less time to sit down at my desk and put fingers to keys.

And so a revamp of the frequency [...]